Slideshow: Retrofits and Equipment For Greenhouse Vegetable Production

Changing from ornamentals to produce isn’t all that complicated for experienced greenhouse growers, but it may require a few adjustments to your facilities. Take a look at these structures retrofits, production changes and new equipment you should consider to take your production quality to the next level.

Changing From Ornamentals To Vegetables–Before

Greenhouse produce can be a good between-seasons option. Just a few facilities retrofits and adjustments can change this poinsettia crop …

Changing From Ornamentals To Vegetables–After

… into this profitable greenhouse lettuce crop.

Greenhouse Vegetable Irrigation

Greenhouse vegetables require as much as three-quarters of a gallon of water per day. Each plant needs its own dripper.

Irrigation Water Monitoring

You need to keep a close eye on irrigation water with greenhouse vegetable crops. Drain water should be collected and EC and pH levels, as well as total drain water volume, should be monitored daily.

Greenhouse Tomato Training

Greenhouse crops such as tomatoes and peppers are generally trained with wires to grow vertically.

Greenhouse Pepper Training

The vertical orientation provides easy access to the fruit for harvesting.

Training Clips

Clips are used to attach the plant stem or vine to a string to train the plant vertically. More clips can be added and the string raised as the plant grows.

Deciding the best lighting system for your greenhouse — whether you’re growing ornamentals, vegetables, herbs, or something else — can be challenging. Here’s a close look at some of the latest lighting options on the market, and how you can determine whether they are a good fit for your operation.

The University of the District of Columbia is the nation’s only urban land-grant university, so it was a particularly appropriate setting for the Association of Vertical Farming (AVF) to host the AVF Summit 2017 on September 22. The summit was a mix of education, advocacy, and policy discussion about urban agriculture — vertical farming in particular — targeted at finding ways to broaden its adoption in cities around the country and around the world. You’ve probably heard quite a bit in recent months about vertical farming — systems for growing food in stacked layers in completely controlled environments, applying inputs such as light, water, and fertilizer in precise amounts. While there’s some use of these systems in greenhouse settings, in many cases, urban farmers are repurposing abandoned buildings or even shipping containers. Match the availability of these facilities in most large urban areas with big cities’ limited access to fresh, […]